Healing In Groups
The healing power of groups has been widely attested in the scientific literature. Support groups have been shown to benefit their members emotionally, physically, and spiritually through the following factors:
A powerful sense of belonging and acceptance
Discovering that one’s feelings and experiences are not unique to them (i.e. “I am not alone”)
Hope, encouragement, support
The opportunity to replay/repair negative family experiences or roles
Watching other members process and handle their pain can produce personal insight
The opportunity to express and share feelings with others who care and will listen
Learning how one is perceived by others and practicing new ways of relating and communicating
The opportunity to develop personal awareness due to feedback from members
The opportunity to explore issues of meaning and purpose
The opportunity to “give back” or help offer support to a fellow member
Biblical Basis For Groups
Group members can help each other see the nature of God’s love and forgiveness through the love and care of fellow members. In addition, the need to belong is nourished by social interaction. From our basic fundamental understanding of God, which is Trinitarian in nature, we discover throughout Scripture that groups are God’s way. Here are just a few examples:
God established a new nation structured around small groups (i.e., clans).
Jesus selected 12 disciples to form a core, small group.
Jesus demonstrated how needs are supplied by an intimate small group.
Jesus was able to teach in greater depth in a small group than he could with a larger following.
Through the use of a small group, Jesus built a model of corporate faith and living.
The new Jerusalem church followed suit and also met in small groups.
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Bridges
Bridges is a year-round Christ-based discipleship ministry focused on recovery issues for teens 7th-12th grades that highlights the need for transformation. Utilizing a 12-step format and the power of the creative arts, students are taken on an interactive process, where they are given the chance and safe place to wrestle with and heal from the chaos and pain of their world.
For more information or to get involved, clink the link below.
Creative Connections
Creative Connections is a 5 month interactive support group for women survivors of childhood sexual abuse. This support group is intended for those wanting to push on farther in their work of recovery, particularly exploring the specific aspect of connection: connection with God, connection with the body/self, and connection with others.
Through the use of the creative arts, members have the opportunity to explore the disconnection in their lives that limits their potential and abundance in relationships, including their relationship with God and themselves. It is advised that members have already dealt with many of the other issues which are commonly addressed in other programs for survivors of sexual abuse before attempting to join.
For more information or to get involved, clink the link below.
God's Project
God’s Project is a special group for girls who have been abandoned, abused, mistreated, defiled, and corrupted by the world and the people who were supposed to love them the most. It is a group for support and healing, intended to help facilitate the recovery process from severe trauma and abuse.
God’s Project works to instill in its participants some of the very aspects essential to healthy personhood that get taken from them by their perpetrators. Through the use of the creative arts, God’s Project seeks to re-instill these lost parts of self so that members can integrate their traumas, find healing for their wounds, and look forward into their future to what God has in store for them.
For more information or to get involved, clink the link below.
If you are interested in joining a group and experiencing the group process or have any questions, reach out and see how support groups can help you on your journey.